Aging Halifax ferry terminal to be rebuilt to accommodate proposed electric ferries

The Halifax Regional Municipality has put out a call for ambitious design plans for a rebuild of the downtown ferry terminal to prepare it for a proposed ferry route to Bedford.

Details of the project are included in the municipality's public tender that was released Monday.

The document invites design concepts for a "complete rebuild" of the Halifax terminal, as well as a brand new ferry terminal for Mill Cove on the western shore of the Bedford Basin.

Both terminals are intended to be net-zero facilities designed to support electric, zero-emission commuter ferries on the new route.

The scope of the project means the current Halifax ferry terminal, which was built in the 1970s, will need to expand to roughly twice the size, according to Waye Mason, the councillor for Halifax South Downtown.

"The new boats won't fit in the existing dock — it's not big enough — and we need to be able to charge the boats," said Mason.

A study exploring options for an electric ferry that would run an 11-kilometre route between Mill Cove and Halifax's downtown was announced last week, with all three levels of government contributing about $3 million total for the design phase.

The new route being proposed is part of the region's rapid transit strategy, which is estimated to cost between $710 million and $782 million, and includes transforming bus and ferry routes by 2030.

The cost of the Halifax ferry terminal rebuild is forecast to be $17 million. 

"The ferries and the bus rapid transit systems, while a large cost upfront, will save us money because they will move way more people more efficiently and keep them out of their cars," Mason said, adding the kinds of ferries being explored are zero-emission, catamaran-style boats that would be much faster than the current ferries running between Halifax and Dartmouth.

The Halifax ferry terminal will also need to expand in size to prepare for future routes being planned to Shannon Park on the Dartmouth side of the harbour and the Larry Uteck Boulevard area.

"To see it finally getting to the point where we're making a plan to go to tender to build the ferry and have it in the harbour and in the Bedford Basin, it's fabulous," Mason said, noting discussions have been happening for a number of years. 

Mason pointed out while the existing terminal in Halifax has been well maintained, staff have not made any significant investments knowing the facility would need to be replaced at some point.

As part of the new terminal being planned for Mill Cove, the municipality is also looking for designs for a new bridge that would provide access from the Bedford Highway and over the CN Rail line to the terminal.

The municipality has set a deadline of July 9 for all submissions and anticipates the project will start in August.

It hopes the new ferries will be up and running in 2024.